# US 2022/0031284 A1 · Ultrasonic probe and manufacturing method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0031284 A1 - Document ID: US20220031284A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/386,171 - Filed: 2021-07-27 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Earliest claimed: 2020-07-29 - Assignees: Canon Medical Systems Corporation - Applicants: Canon Medical Systems Corporation - Inventors: Takashi TAKEUCHI; Shohei SASAKI; Hiroyuki SHIKATA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220031284A1 ## CPC - A61B 8/4444: {related to the probe} - A61B 8/4483: {characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer} - A61B 8/4494: {characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements} - B06B 1/0622: {on one surface} - H10N 30/088: by cutting or dicing - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B06B: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, {e.g.} FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL (for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. B07B1/40, B23Q17/12, B24B31/06; measurement of mechanical vibrations G01H; in direction finding, locating, distance or velocity measuring G01S; {generating seismic energy G01V1/02}; control of mechanical vibrations in general G05D; sound-producing devices, e.g. bells, sirens, whistles G10K, {e.g. methods or devices for transmitting, conducting, or directing sound in general G10K11/00}; generation of electrical oscillations H03B; electromechanical resonators in general H03H; electromechanical transducers {for communication techniques, e.g. microphones, speakers} H04R) - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract An ultrasonic probe of an embodiment includes a vibrator, an acoustic matching layer, and a back layer. The vibrator includes a plurality of vibrating elements arranged in a first direction. The acoustic matching layer is formed on a living body side of the vibrator. The back layer is formed on a back side of the vibrator opposite the living body side. The plurality of vibrating elements are formed by being divided by first grooves passing through the vibrator and the back layer. Second grooves passing through the vibrating elements and penetrating into the back layer are provided in each of the vibrating elements. A penetration depth of the second grooves in a second direction in the back layer is less than a width of the second grooves in the first direction in the vibrating elements. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasonic probe, comprising: a vibrator including a plurality of vibrating elements arranged in a first direction; an acoustic matching layer formed on a living body side of the vibrator; and a back layer formed on a back side of the vibrator opposite the living body side, wherein the plurality of vibrating elements are formed by being divided by first grooves passing through the vibrator and the back layer, second grooves passing through the vibrating elements and penetrating into the back layer are provided in each of the vibrating elements, and a penetration depth of the second grooves in a second direction in the back layer is less than a width of the second grooves in the first direction in the vibrating elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the penetration depth of the second grooves in the second direction in the back layer is 0.8 times or less the width of the second grooves in the first direction in the vibrating elements. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a filler is filled in the first grooves in the back layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein the filler is an epoxy resin. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a width of at least a part of the first grooves in the first direction in the back layer is less than a width of the first grooves in the first direction in the vibrator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating elements are arranged in the first direction and a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. ### Claim 7 A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe, comprising: laminating an unprocessed vibrator to be a vibrator including a plurality of vibrating elements on an unprocessed back layer to be a back layer; laminating an unprocessed acoustic matching layer to be an acoustic matching layer on the unprocessed vibrator; forming the acoustic matching layer, the vibrator, and the back layer by performing dicing from the unprocessed acoustic matching layer to the unprocessed back layer across the unprocessed vibrator to divide the unprocessed vibrator by a plurality of first grooves passing through the unprocessed vibrator and the unprocessed back layer; and forming a second groove having a penetration depth in a second direction in the back layer, which is less than a width in a first direction in the vibrator, in each of the vibrating elements by performing dicing from the acoustic matching layer to a middle position in the back layer in the second direction across the vibrating elements. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of manufacturing the ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, further comprising, after coating an adhesive between the unprocessed vibrator and the unprocessed acoustic matching layer: pressing the unprocessed back layer with the unprocessed vibrator to laminate the unprocessed vibrator and the unprocessed back layer before the adhesive solidifies; and causing the adhesive to flow into the first grooves in the back layer and solidifying the adhesive to fill the adhesive in the first grooves as a filler at the time of forming the first grooves by dicing the unprocessed vibrator and the unprocessed back layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of manufacturing the ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, further comprising forming stepped first grooves as the first grooves by forming dividing first grooves which divide the unprocessed vibrator into the vibrator, and then forming narrow first grooves having a width narrower than a width of the dividing first grooves from bottoms of the dividing first grooves. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, further comprising arranging the first grooves in the first direction and a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction to divide the unprocessed vibrator into the vibrator.